Virus cases up by 123 amid chicken factory cluster

First Minister is concerned by rise but says it must be taken in context

According to the Office for National Statistics about one in 16 in Northern Ireland are likely to have had Covid-19 over the festive period.

Published 22nd Aug 2020

Scotland has reported 123 new cases of coronavirus - with the number of confirmed infections topping three figures for the first time in three months.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described the large number of cases as being of concern''.

But she said the rise must be seen in the context of the coronavirus cluster linked to the 2 Sisters food processing plant in Coupar Angus.

Of the new cases reported on Saturday, 78 were in the NHS Tayside area.

But the number of newly confirmed cases is the highest it has been since May 16, when there were 187 cases confirmed - and compares to the 10 cases that were confirmed one month ago on July 22.

Ms Sturgeon tweeted: 123 new positive #Covid cases today is of course of concern. However, it also needs some context - 78 of them are in Tayside where we're dealing with the outbreak at the 2 Sisters food processing plant.

Important that all workers and household contacts follow advice to isolate.''

The food plant is currently closed, with anyone living in a household with a factory worker having been told to isolate at home until Monday August 31.

A total of 19,728 people have now tested positive for Covid-19 in Scotland.

The latest daily figures show there were 246 people in hospital with confirmed coronavirus - a drop of eight from the previous day's total.

There were two people in intensive care with the disease on Friday night, which is unchanged over 24 hours.

There were no new deaths reported amongst patients who have previously tested positive for virus.

There were eight new cases of coronavirus in the NHS Grampian area, where authorities have been dealing with a cluster of cases linked to pubs in Aberdeen.

This outbreak has seen local lockdown measures imposed on the city, forcing bars, cafes and restaurants to shut, while residents are being asked not to go into other people's homes.

NHS Grampian said the number of cases associated with the cluster is now 254, with this total including some cases which had previously been detected but have now been found to have a link to the hospitality sector in Aberdeen after more detailed investigation.